Smith County, Texas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Smith County, Texas | |
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| Map | |
 Location in the state of Texas |
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 Texas's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | July, 1846 |
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| Seat | Tyler |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
949 sq mi (2,458 km²) 928 sq mi (2,404 km²) 21 sq mi (54 km²), 2.22% |
| Population - (2007) - Density |
198,705 209/sq mi (80.8/km²) |
| Website: www.smith-county.com | |
Smith County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 174,706 , while in 2007 it was estimated to have reached 198,705. Its county seat is Tyler[1]. Smith county is named for James Smith, a general during the Texas Revolution. Smith County is primarily dry, but the city of Tyler is "damp" allowing wine sales in town without a local option election.
Smith County is part of the Tyler Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Tyler–Jacksonville Combined Statistical Area.
The Milburn-Gary House is located off United States Highway 69 north of Tyler. It is named for the Reverend Williamson Milburn, pastor of the Bethel Baptist Church, who in 1853 purchased the land on which the house was built two years thereafter. The structure had solid oak walls and wide doors. Milburn sold the house to Jesse B. Gary, a local farmer. John Henry Gary, Sr., bought the property from his father in 1900 and moved the house to procure a better water supply. Gary family members owned it until 1964. It was moved to the present site in 1995.[2]
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[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 949 square miles (2,459 km²), of which, 928 square miles (2,404 km²) of it is land and 21 square miles (55 km²) of it (2.22%) is water. The county infrastructure includes some 1180 miles of two lane county road. 70% of these county roads were rated "bad" or "poor" in 2004. The county Commissioners Court appointed a new county engineer in 2005 and initiated an aggressive reconstruction campaign.
[edit] Major highways
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Wood County (north)
- Upshur County (northeast)
- Gregg County (east)
- Rusk County (southeast)
- Cherokee County (south)
- Henderson County (southwest)
- Van Zandt County (northwest)
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 174,706 people, 65,692 households, and 46,904 families residing in the county. The population density was 188 people per square mile (73/km²). There were 71,701 housing units at an average density of 77 per square mile (30/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 71.61% White, 20.06% Black or African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 5.74% from other races, and 1.44% from two or more races. 11.17% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 65,692 households out of which 33.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.50% were married couples living together, 12.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.60% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the county, the population was spread out with 26.60% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 22.10% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,148, and the median income for a family was $44,534. Males had a median income of $32,451 versus $22,351 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,072. About 10.20% of families and 13.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.40% of those under age 18 and 10.80% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Communities
[edit] Cities and towns
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[edit] Unincorporated areas
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Texas Historical Commission, Historical marker, 1996
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- Smith County government website
- Smith County in Handbook of Texas Online at the University of Texas
- Smith County Historical Society
- Smith County Electricity Deregulation
- Allegations of corruption in Smith County
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